Energy Digest, June 1980
The Homeowner’s Salvation: Solar Power
by Daniella Rayez
In the wake of rising energy costs and depleted resources, President Carter initiated an
aggressive program to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, such as oil and
coal. Congress passed Carter’s Public Utility Policies Act in 1978, giving tax credits to
homeowners who install solar energy cells in their homes. The Energy Tax Act
encourages homeowners to invest in energy conservation by giving them tax credits of
up to $2,000 for home solar devices installed after April 20, 1977.
Today, these solar cells are primarily used to heat water in homes. When sensors
attached to the water tank detect that water temperatures are too low, the water is
circulated in pipes where heat absorbed by solar energy is transferred to the water,
which requires an array of solar panels attached to the home’s roof. Initial cost of these
panels is quite high, but the money saved through tax credits and monthly energy bills
make it a plausible option.
Affordable hot water is a herald of progress; it is hoped that solar energy will soon
provide all the power homeowners need. Dennis Hayes, executive director of the Solar
Energy Resource Institute, recently said, “Solar power offers the United States a clean
energy future, decreases our dependence on petroleum, and offers a decentralized
approach to solving our energy problems.” With added advantages, the cost of
residential-use solar systems will certainly go down, giving the people of the United
States a cost-effective way to power their homes.
1) The following question has two parts. Answer Part A, then answer Part B.
Part A
(RI.9–10.2) Which statement best summarizes the author’s central idea in “The
Homeowner’s Salvation: Solar Power”?
a. Solar energy is an expensive alternative to fossil fuels.
b. The government is attempting to support the use of solar energy.
c. Solar energy will be a financially sound alternative for many homes in the future.
d. Lawmakers understand that incentives are a wise method to steer the economy.
Part B
(RI.9–10.1) Which detail from the text best supports your answer in Part A?
a. “In the wake of rising energy costs and depleted resources, President Carter
initiated an aggressive program to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil
fuels, such as oil and coal.”
b. “Congress passed Carter’s Public Utility Policies Act in 1978, giving tax credits to
homeowners who install solar energy cells in their homes. The Energy Tax Act
encourages homeowners to invest in energy conservation by giving them tax
credits of up to $2,000 for home solar devices installed after April 20, 1977.”
c. “Dennis Hayes, executive director of the Solar Energy Resource Institute,
recently said, ‘Solar power offers the United States a clean energy future,
decreases our dependence on petroleum, and offers a decentralized approach to
solving our energy problems.’”
d. “With added advantages, the cost of residential-use solar systems will certainly go
down, giving the people of the United States a cost-effective way to power their
homes.”
2) (RI.9–10.4) What is the most accurate meaning of “plausible” as it is used in
paragraph 2?
a. Polite
b. Reasonable
c. Impossible
d. Short-term
3) (RI.9–10.6) Read the following sentence from paragraph 3.
Dennis Hayes, executive director of the Solar Energy Resource Institute, recently
said,
“Solar power offers the United States a clean energy future, decreases our
dependence on petroleum, and offers a decentralized approach to solving our
energy problems.”
How does the inclusion of this sentence support the author’s purpose?
a. It contradicts a previous point that the author presented.
b. It refutes arguments against solar power.
c. It provides a different perspective on the solar energy issue.
d. It provides credibility for the author’s argument.
Energy Digest, November 2003
What Happened to Solar Power for Home Use?
By Richard Mueller
A 1979 poll in The New York Times indicated that 42% of Americans believed solar energy
would solve all the country’s energy problems by 1984. President Carter set a goal in his
Proposed Energy Policy that solar energy would be used in 2.5 million homes by 1985.
Carter’s Public Utilities Policies Act in 1978 and the enormous tax credits that went along
with it fueled these ideas.
At the time, energy costs were skyrocketing due to the oil embargo of 1973. Citizens
were looking for alternatives to petroleum for power and fuel, and solar energy became
a focal point. It was clean and inexpensive, not to mention safe. The disasters of Three
Mile Island and Chernobyl during the 1980s scared people away from nuclear energy,
and the influx of solar systems in residences began. However, solar power’s popularity
waned by the 1990s. Carter’s tax credits ended in 1986 when President Reagan chose to
let commerce dictate the direction of renewable energy sources.
Simultaneously, petroleum prices dropped significantly, further crippling the solar
power industry. By 2000, the costs of installing and maintaining a set of residential solar
cells were too high, and home use dwindled. Neither Carter nor the citizens of the late
1970s were right. Solar power is not used in more than two million homes. It has not
solved the country’s energy problems. Harnessing the sun was a romantic idea that
simply was not realistic.
It may be possible that, in the future, we will revisit the idea of using renewable energy
sources such as the sun to power our homes, businesses, and perhaps even cars. For
now, though, fossil fuels continue to be the cheapest and most efficient form of energy.
4) (RI.9–10.4) What is the closest synonym of “influx” as it is used in paragraph 2?
a. Exit
b. Criticism
c. Popularity
d. Argument
5) (RI.9–10.5) Read the following sentence from paragraph 3.
“Harnessing the sun was a romantic idea that simply was not realistic.”
How does this sentence’s structure best support the author’s claim?
a. The author contrasts the ideal goal with a practical argument.
b. The author admits that the idea of solar power is desirable.
c. The author criticizes the idea of using solar energy.
d. The author believes that solar will work in the future.
6) (RI.9–10.3) Use “The Homeowner’s Salvation: Solar Power” and “What Happened
to Solar Power for Home Use?” to identify each author’s primary claim. Then fill in
supporting details from the text to support that claim.
Name of
Passage
Claim
Supporting Details
“The Homeowner’s
Salvation: Solar
Energy”
“What Happened
to Solar Power for
Home Use?”
From Smarter Balanced Grades 9–10 Practice Assessment
Student Task
(W.9–10.1) Compare and contrast a primary argument in each text you read regarding
residential use of solar power. Your essay should explain how effectively you think
each author supported that claim with reasoning and/or evidence. Be sure to use
evidence from both texts in your answer.